Dragon Tamer

Chapter 5

After I left the royal dinner, I went downstairs to where Prince Eli had taken me to see what he thought I'd like so much about it; I only hoped it wasn't a secret brothel they had under the castle. I needed air--to get away from this place, really--and down here seemed particularly drafty. I soon found out why.

I turned into the room the princes had piled out of earlier. It was actually a cave. Near the door I came through, straw mats lay over the floor as a protective layer for those who hit the floor too hard when sparring. Well, that explained why they were all shirtless; they had been sparring for practice. On the right side against the cave walls, were dummies with scorch marks etched into them; the left wall was entirely filled with all kinds of weapons. I could smell the steel from here. . . and a familiar scent I didn't expect down here. Dragon.

The cave was much bigger than the matts lain out. It was too dark deeper into the cave to see what else filled the room, but there was another exit--a much bigger one. The roaring waves of the ocean came through the opening and if I angled my head right, I saw the moon's reflection off the calmer waves further away from shore. Drawn to the light--the smell, the air, too--I went to the end of the cave and sat down on the ledge. There was an easy hundred foot drop below me, waves crashing against the cliffside, threatening to splash me if I angered it enough. I breathed in deeply, discovering my love for the smell of the ocean. It was so unique and grounding. Listening to the waves brought a sense of ease over me I didn't expect. And then I heard another sound behind me.

I turned my head to find Marco slipping out of the darkness. He laid down behind me and curled his tail around me in case the harsh wind gripped me and pulled me over the edge. "Hey, Marco. We're a long way from home, huh?"

He lowered his head beside me and nudged me to pet him, no doubt sensing my distress. I brushed my fingers over his scales, just above his eye, a spot he couldn't scratch properly without hurting himself.

"Thanks, buddy. I don't know what I'd do if I was by myself. How did Kaden and Giles do it, survive here? I know it's only for a night and they're super friendly people, but. . . they're so different from everyone back home. They don't understand me. I saw it in their eyes. They were mocking me for being friends with a dragon. I thought they would understand. Most of them in the room are Bonded to dragons for Gods' sake. Do they all feel like dragons are mindless creatures? Why would my family affiliate themselves with such people?"

He rubbed his face against me gently, shutting his eyes with a soft groan rumbling out of his lips. It was all he could do to comfort me and give me strength to remain here until tomorrow. It would be stupid to head home, anyway. Nighttime was far too dangerous to travel, let alone cross the continent.

Other dragons breathed heavily not too far behind us. A black dragon I barely recognised as Balthazar came to my other side. His red eyes watched me carefully.

"You're not going to tell Prince Liam where I am, are you? Please? I want to be alone for a little bit--at least, not around humans," I quickly amended to Marco's snort.

The dragon looked back to the others then to me and nodded.

"Thank you. If they're worried, just let him know I'm safe, okay?"

He nodded again then got more comfortable, resting his head on my other side. I stroked his nose between his nostrils.

"Do you like being here?" I asked him. He looked healthy, much bigger than when he'd left us to be with Prince Liam, but he also had a scar across his chest that hadn't been there before. "Are they treating you all right?"

He opened his eyes and grunted. Slowly, as to not startle me, he rose to his full height, which this cave was tall enough to accommodate, I realised, and stretched, to prove further how big this cave they slept in was. He knelt down, pulling his wing back to expose the joints between his wings.